Device for forming tabs on articles



y 1961 E. A. BRICKMAN ETAI. 2,990,871

DEVICE FOR FORMING TABS ON ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1959I. //V (/1? N TJAS 5 A. Ema/(MAN M. WALLBERG ATTORNEY W United StatesPatent'O DEVICE FOR FORMING TABS N ARTICLES Elmer A. Brickman, Omaha,Nebn, and Marshall Wallberg, Indianapolis, 'Ind., assignors to WesternElectric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,845 4 Claims. (Cl. 153-2) Thisinvention relates to devices for forming tabs on articles and moreparticularly to devices for forming tabs in walls of cylindrical shells.

A certain type of protector block assembly commonly used in telephoneapparatus: is provided with a cylindrical shell in which is mounted aporcelain and carbon block assembly. One of the ways in which thisassembly can be held in the shell is to bend portions of the shell atone end inwardly behind the assembly in the manner disclosed in patentNo. 2,830,642, issued to M. Wallberg on April 15, 1958, for Tool forForming Tabs on Cylindrical Shell by Cutting and Bending. Thedisadvantage of this procedure is that the protector block assemblycannot be removed without straightening the shell. From this viewpoint,it would be desirable to provide a shell into which a protector blockassembly could be inserted without difiiculty and from which it couldalso be removed with a minimum of difiiculty, utilizing a frictionalengagement of the block assembly with the shell to hold the assemblytherein.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a novel and improveddevice for forming tabs on articles.

Another of the objects of this invention is to provide a device forforming a tab in the side of a protector block shell.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a device forcutting a tab from a shell and forcing the tab partially into the shell.

A further object of this invention is to a provide a device for severinga portion of a wall of a shell and bending it into the shell to form atab which serves to retain an element in the shell.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, an apparatus illustratingthe principles of the invention for forming a tab along a side wall ofan open-topped tubular article may include a support member and alongitudinally slotted anvil secured to the support member and of suchconfiguration as to permit entry into the open top of the article.Means: are provided for positioning the article in spaced relationshipto the anvil so that the open top of the article aligns with the anvil.A cutter is mounted pivotally to the support member, and means areprovided for urging the cutter to a normal unoperated position spacedfrom the anvil. Means are provided for moving the support member towardthe article so that the anvil enters the open top of the article andcomes to a rest position within the article, together with meansoperable after the anvil has reached the rest position for pivoting thecutter against the operation of the urging means into engagement withthe article and the anvil. The cutter and anvil are so constructed andarranged with respect to each other and with respect to the articlethat, as the cutter pivots, it cuts through an intermediate portionalong a side wall of the article to form a tab therealong, which isforced inward of the article and is re ceived in the slot in the anvil.I v

Oher objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent byreference to the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device embodying the principles of thepresent invention and showing the elements of the device in actuatedpositions; 1 g V,

Patented July 4, 1961 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line2--2 of FIG. 1 showing a cam which effects an upward movement ofprotector block shell-s into awork position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 illustrating a cutting and forming member and a hold-down memberin actuated positions;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3showing the configuration of the holddown member; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the protector block shellafter the forming operation.

Refening now in detail to the drawings, there is shown a base 11 uponwhich is mounted a frame 12 for sup porting the working parts of thedevice. An indexing table 15 rotatably supported on the base 11 isprovided with a plurality of pins 16 which extend upward throughapertures or seats :17, these seats being adapted to receive protectorblock shells 18 which rest on the upper ends of the pins 16. The table15 is indexed in a well-known manner to sequentially position the shells18 in the seats 17 beneath an overhanging portion of the frame 12. Thelower ends of the pins 16 ride along a cam 21 and are moved upwardly bya cam surface 22 to elevate each of the shells 18 into a work positionas best illustrated in FIG. 2.

A bracket 23 adjustably secured to the base 11 has pivoted thereto anarm 24 having a bifurcated end in which is positioned a hold-down member26 best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The hold-down member 26 is securedto the arm 24 by pins 27. A tension spring 30 secured to the arm- 24normally urges the arm downward into engagement with a bolt 31 which isadjustably attached to the base 11 so as to permit adjustment to thelowermost position to which the arm 24 and the holddown member 26 can bemoved.

A bracket 35 adjustably secured to the frame 12 pivotally supports alever 36 which is actuated by an air cylinder 37 mounted on the base 11.A link 40 pivoted to the lever 36 is provided at its lower end with ayoke 41 which depends on opposite sides of the arm 24 and is providedwith slots 46 which receive a pin 47 secured to the arm 24. The arm 24is thus free to move relative to the yoke 41 to the extent that the pin47 can move in the slots 46. This establishes a certain amount of lostmotion between the arm 24 and the link 40 to allow downward movement ofthe link 40 after the lever 24 is stopped by engagement with the bolt31.

A tubular member 50 slidably mounted in the overhanging portion of theframe 12 carries on its lower end a block 51 to which a cutting andforming member 54 is secured by a pivot pin 55. The cutting and formingmember 54 is provided with a cutter which is adapted to cooperate withan anvil 61 secured to and carried by the block 51.

The anvil 61, which is adapted to extend downwardly from the block 51through an aperture 62 in the holddown member 26 and into the shell 18,is provided with a longitudinal slot 65 (FIGS. 3 and 4) into which thecutter 60 is forced to form a tab (FIG. 5) in the shell 18, the walls ofthe slot 65 cooperating with the eultter 60 to shear the shell 18. Aspring loaded plunger 71 (FIG. 2) mounted in the overhanging portion ofthe frame 12 engages the block 51 and urges it downward.

A rod 75 slidably mounted in the tubular member 50' is provided on itslower end with divergent surfaces 76 and 77 (FIG. 3) which engagerollers 80 and 81,. respectively. The roller 80 is supported by theframe 12, while the roller 81 is carried by the cutting and formingmember 54. Inasmuch as the surfaces 76 and 77 diverge as they extendupward along the rod 75, it can be seen that, when the rod 75 is moveddownward, the cutting and forming member 54 will be pivoted clockwise(FIGS,

' T I 3 l and 3) to move the cutter 60 into operated position.v A pairof leaf springs 8282, secured to the block 51 engage the cutting andforming member 54 and normally urge it counterclockwise out ofwork oroperated position (FIGS. 1 and 3) to a normal inoperative positionspaced from the anvil 61.

The lever 36 is provided with an upper fork 86 and a lower fork 87. Theupper fork has its end portion POSl: tioned between upper and lowerflanges 88 on the rod 75 so that this rod is moved vertically when thelever 36 is pivoted. The lower fork 87 engages a flange 89 on thetubular member 50 to raise the block 51 after the lever 36 has pivotedcounterclockwise a predetermined amount. A stop 92 (FIG. 2) adjustablysecuredvto the frame 12 engages the flange 89 on the tubular member 50to limit the lowermost position to which the block 51 can be moved, thelower fork 87 continuing to move downward after the tubular member 50 isstopped. A second stop 94 adjustably secured to the lower flange 88engages the flange 89 to limit the lower most position to which the rod75 can be moved.

Operation In operating this device to form tabs in protector blockshells, the shells 18 are sequentially advanced into work position bythe table 15 which is indexed in any desirable manner, each shell 18being elevated into work position by the cam surface 22 which elevatesthe pins 16. The air cylinder 37 is then actuated to pivot the lever 36clockwise (FIG. 1) on the frame 12. Movement of the lever 36 moves thelink 40 downward to permit the arm 24 to carry the hold-down member 26into engagement with the upper end of the shell '18. Since the pin 47 isfree to move in the slots 46, the link 40 can continue to move downwardafter the arm 24 is stopped by engagement with the bolt 31. 7

Movement of the lever 36 also causes the rod 75 to move downward byengagement of the lower flange 88 with the upper fork 86. In addition,as the lever 36 pivots, the lower fork 87 moves away from the flange 89of the tubular member 50 so that the spring-loaded plunger 71 is free tomove the member 50 and the block 51 secured thereto downward intooperative positions. The anvil 61 carried by the block 51 thus movesthrough the aperture 62 in the hold-down member 26 and into the shell18. Engagement of the flange 89 with the stop 92 stops the movement ofthe block 51 and the tubular ments may be readily devised by thoseskilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention andfall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for forming a tab along a side wall of an open-toppedtubular article, which comprises a support member, a longitudinallyslotted anvil secured to said support member and of such configurationas to permit entry into the open top of the article, a horizontalindexing table having a plurality of article-receiving seats at equallyspaced intervals along the upper surface thereof, said anvil beingmounted vertically and said table being intermittently indexed so as tobring a succession of the articles into positions where the open topsthereof align with said anvil, a cutter pivotally mounted to saidsupport member, means for urging said cutter to a normal unoperatedposition spaced from said anvil, means mounted below said table andresponsive to movement of said table for elevating each article insequence out of its seat to a working position where the side wallthereof may be engaged by said cutter, means for moving said supportmember toward the article so that said anvil enters the open top of thearticle and comes to a rest position within the article, and meansoperable after said anvil has reached the rest position for pivotingsaid cutter against the operation of said urging means into engagemen-twith the article and said anvil; said cutter and anvil being soconstructed and arranged with respect to each other and with respect tothe article that, as said cutter pivots, it cuts through an intermediateportion along a side wall of the article to form a tab therealong, whichis forced inward of the article and is received in the slot in saidanvil.

member in the position illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 where the anvil61 comes to a rest position within the shell 18. Further movement of thelever 36 is still possible, since there is a certain amount of lostmotion between the lower fork 87 and the flange 89 on the tubularmember.

Upon further movement of the lever 36, the rod 75 moves further downwardto bring the divergent surf-aces 76 and 77 between the rollers 80 and81, whereupon the cutting and forming member 54 is pivoted clockwise(FIGS. 1 and 3) to cause the cutter 60 to cut through an intermediateportion along a side wall of the shell and to cooperate with the anvil61 and form a tab 70 in the shell 18. The tab 70 is formed when thecutter 60 pierces the shell '18 and enters the slot 65 in the anvil 61.

The air cylinder 37 is then actuated in any desirable manner to pivotthe lever 36 counterclockwise. As the lever 36 pivots, the upper fork 86first elevates rod 75 and permits the springs 82-82 to move the cuttingand forming member 54 out of operated position. The lower fork 87 thenengages the flange 89 on the tubular member 50 and elevates the block51, with the cutting and forming member 54 held out of work position bythe springs 82-82. The table 15 is then indexed one position and theabove procedure is repeated.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simplyillustrative of the application of the principles of this invention.Numerous other arrange- 2. Apparatus for forming a tab along a side wallof a cylindrical shell, which comprises a base, a frame on the base,means on the base for supporting a shell, a block member mountedslidably with respect to the frame and having a cylindrical anvildesigned for entering the shell, said anvil having a longitudinal slotin the periphery thereof, a cutting and forming member pivotallyattached to the block member and having a cutter designed for pierc ingthe shell and entering the slot in the anvil to form a tab on the shell,means for urging the cutting and forming member to a normal unoperatedposition where the cutter is spaced from the anvil, means on the framefor normally urging the block member downward, a first roller carried bythe block member, a second roller car ried by the cutting and formingmember and spaced from the first roller, an actuating rod slidablymounted with respect to the block member and having a tapered lower endadapted to enter between the rollers and pivot the cutting and formingmember to move the cutter toward the anvil, means for raising andlowering said rod to accomplish the cutting and forming operation, andmeans carried by a portion of said raising and lowering means andengageable with a portion of said block member when said rod is raisedto lift said block member and the anvil and cutting and forming membercarried thereby away from the formed shell against the action of saidblock member-urging means.

3. A device for forming a tab on a cylindrical shell, comprising a base,a frame on the base, means on the base for supporting a shell, a tubularmember slidably mounted on the frame and having a flange on the upperend thereof, a block secured to the lower end of the tubular member andhaving a cylindrical anvil adapted to enter the shell, said anvil havinga longitudinal slot in the periphery thereof, a cutting and formingmember pivotally attached to the block and having a cutter adapted topierce the shell and enter the slot in the anvil to form a tab on theshell, a spring secured to the block and engaging the cutting andforming member to normally urge the cutter away from the anvil, aspring-loaded plunger on the frame for normally urging the blockdownward, a first roller carried bythe block, a second roller carried bythe cutting and forming member and spaced from the first roller, 2. rodslidably mounted in the tubular member and having a tapered lower endadapted to enter between the rollers and pivot the cutting and formingmember to move the cutter toward the anvil, said rod having a pair ofspaced flanges on the upper end thereof, a lever mounted on the frameand having an upper fork extending between the spaced flanges on theupper end of the rod for moving the rod when the lever is moved, saidlever also having a lower fork spaced from the upper fork and positionedbeneath the flange on the upper end of the tubular member for elevatingthe tubular member and the block against the action of the spring loadedplunger, and means on the base for moving the lever.

4. A device for forming a tab on a cylindrical shell, comprising a base,a frame on the base, means on the base for supporting a shell, an armpivotally attached to the base, a holding element pinned to the arm andadapted to rest on the shell and hold said shell on the base, saidholding element having an aperture concentric with the shell, a springsecured between the arm and the base for urging the holding elementagainst the shell, a stop on the base for limiting downward movement ofthe arm and the holding element, a tubular member sl-idably mounted onthe frame and having a flange on the upper end thereof, a block securedto the lower end of the tubular member and having a cylindrical anviladapted to pass through the aperture in the holding element and enterthe shell, said anvil having a longitudinal slot in the peripherythereof, a cutting and forming member pivotally attached to the blockand having a cutter adapt- 6 ed to pierce the shell and enter the slotin the anvil to form a tab on the shell, a spring secured to the blockand engaging the cutting and forming member to normally urge the cutteraway from the anvil, a spring loaded plunger on the frame for normallyurging the block downward, a first roller carried by the block, a secondroller carried by the cutting and forming member and spaced from thefirst roller, a rod slidably mounted in the tubular member and having atapered lower end adapted to enter between the rollers and pivot thecutting and forming member to move the cutter toward the anvil, said rodhaving a pair of spaced flanges on the upper end thereof, a levermounted on the frame and having an upper fork extending between thespaced flanges on the upper end of the rod for moving the rod when thelever is moved, said lever also having a lower fonk spaced from theupper fork and positioned beneath the flange on the upper end of thetubular member for elevating the tubular member and the block againstthe action of the spring-loaded plunger, a link interconnecting the armand the lever for raising the holding element off the shell when thelever is moved, and means on the base for moving the lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS977,178 Ferguson Nov. 29, 1910 2,016,052 Roeder Oct. 1, 1935 2,436,806Hunt Mar. 2, 1948 2,570,919 Clifford Oct. 9, 1951 2,830,642 WallbergApr. 15, 1958

